Journal of the Proceedings of the President, August 1 and 2, 1793

Selected images from the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

George Washington had maintained a personal diary throughout his life, and when president he instituted the practice of maintaining an official journal or diary of the chief executive. Although not all the journals survive, those in Washington's papers provide an insight into the daily activities of the presidency unmatched by any other source. The entries for August 1 and 2, 1793, revolve around one of the earliest foreign policy crises of the new government. President Washington wanted French Minister Edmond Genet sent home, because of Genet's continued violations of United States laws and regulations in his efforts to recruit men, ships, and supplies for France's war against Great Britain. Washington's cabinet, like the nation, was divided between supporters of France and Great Britain. The issue was a key factor in the rivalry of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. As a result of the cabinet meetings of August 1 and 2, even Jefferson had to support a request to the French government for the recall of Genet.